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McLaren Automotive has announced its second model, one that will stir the soul even more than its first: the 625PS (616hp), twin-turbo V8-engined, open roofed 12C Spider, writes Stan Szecowka.
The 12C Spider is based on the same super stiff carbon fibre MonoCell chassis as its hardtop sibling and so will be just as dynamic to drive, its makers say.
But removing the roof will dial up the sensations experienced, the emotions felt and the noise heard,” a McLaren spokesman said. “Especially at the speeds the 12C Spider will be capable of. And, true to McLaren’s ethos of offering high performance without compromise, the 12C Spider will be more usable than any car this exciting has a right to be.”
Motor industry analysts such as Auto Express predict the 12C Spider will be officially revealed in the coming weeks, with a price tag of around BD110,000 when it arrives in showrooms at the end of the year.
One man used to excitement behind the wheel is McLaren’s F1 driver and former world champion Jenson Button and he says driving an open top car is ‘phenomenal’. “You feel you are more part of the world I would say. Without a roof, it makes you smile every second you are driving it,” he added.
Mumtalakat Holding Company, the kingdom’s investment arm, has a 42 per cent stake in McLaren Group as well as a 50 per cent stake in McLaren Automotive, and the kingdom is considered a ‘home from home’ by the company based in Woking, in the English county of Surrey.
More information on the new addition to the McLaren Automotive range will be released in the next few days when ordering commences across the Middle East retail network which includes Al Ghassan Motors in Bahrain, currently building a state-of-the-art showroom next to Moda Mall.
